Six Top Industries Hiring in 2011

Which industries will be the hottest in 2011? Though the economy is still sleepy, some industries are moving again, while others struggle.

To find out where there's high job demand, we talked to two employment experts: Career expert Robin Ryan, author of '60 Seconds and You're Hired,' and Laurence Shatkin, author of '2011 Career Plan.' Here's their advice on the industries and jobs that'll be in demand next year.

1. Health care

There's never been a recession in this sector, says Shatkin, and demand will continue to be strong next year. Jobs in demand include home health care aides and registered nurses ($61,148). Hot specialties within nursing include nurse anesthetists ($144,821), nurse practitioners ($86,774) and psychiatric nurses ($55,155).

Many nurses begin with just a two-year associate's degree or acquire their skills during military service, Shatkin notes. Advanced nursing specialties may require a master's degree.

"Health care is the industry where almost none of the work can be outsourced overseas," he says. "Most of it has to be done hands-on with patients."

2. Federal government

While local and state governments have seen their budgets slashed, there's no recession at the federal level. Between new government programs and a wave of baby-boomer civil servants who are retiring, hiring will be huge in government for the next couple of years. It's forecast that 600,000 need to be hired by 2013.

There are many administrative positions such as accountants ($55,188) and auditors ($104,762), says Shatkin.

3. Human resources

As companies begin to hire, Ryan notes, they first need human resource professionals to help manage that process. Jobs in demand at larger companies include human-resource manager ($56,227) and human-resource specialist ($45,267), while smaller companies usually seek a human resources generalist ($50,950).

4. Manufacturing

This one may surprise you, but because manufacturing went down so sharply in the downturn, it's now one of the industries doing substantial hiring as production expands again, says Shatkin. Unlike in decades past, many manufacturing jobs today are highly skilled, he notes. One in high demand is a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) programmer ($50,466), who runs a tool-and-die computer that creates tools for manufacturing processes.

"In some places there are shortages of workers with these skills," he notes, "because of the prejudice people have against blue-collar jobs."

5. Energy

Thanks to federal stimulus funding, green jobs have grown. One in demand is energy auditor ($48,098), says Shatkin, along with wind-turbine technicians ($48,990) and solar-energy system installers ($47,658).

Traditional energy is thriving too, he notes, with strong need for petroleum engineers ($121,214). One engineering role in energy that requires less training is engineering technician ($47,918), who assist senior engineers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports many engineering technicians specialize in electricity or electronics. A two-year degree at a technical institute or community college can get you started in this career.

6. Education

While many districts have laid off teachers, opportunity remains in inner cities, says Ryan. Cities such as Memphis are hiring teachers ($45,914) with just a six-week bootcamp training. You need a bachelor's degree to qualify for such programs, she notes.

"You used to need to get a teaching certificate in most states," she says. "Now, you can find a teaching job without one."